Keeping Faith
by LightningSword5
Summary: Left alone to die in Pal Park. Why is she left here? Why? She needs love... Everything needs love.
1. Chapter 1

Keeping Faith Chapter 1

She sits there, staring at the flowing river without care. The tall grasses protect her from those who attempt to attack her. They are her shelter. She lives by sneaking though the grass, avoiding the giant feet. Her small is vulnerable to everything, and yet her greatest defense as well. As long as she isn't seen and is mindful of those larger than her, she is perfectly safe.

Boringly safe.

Who is she kidding, she's not safe. She's starving out here.

She wonders, _Why do I stay here? Why don't I leave, go elsewhere? Others have migrated here and hidden in the grass with me. They were friendly, but they disappeared. All of them disappeared in flashes of red light. Why? Why doesn't anyone come for me?_

In you and I there's a new land  
Angel's in flight  
wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I  
My sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah

Her trainer was from Hoenn. He sent all of his pokémon to this awful park and left them there, promising that his friend would come and claim them for himself. All five of her friends had been claimed by that strange red flash. She hasn't seen them since.

_Is it because I'm weak? All the others were big and powerful. I'm just a little Ralts. Nobody likes Ralts. _

Where fears and lies melt away  
Music inside  
wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I  
What's left of me what's left of me now

Her tears fall to the grasses that protect her as her aching stomach screams to be sated. She eats her last berry, mournfully realizing it is her last meal. She cries into the grass, on her hands and skirt-clad knees. She just sits there and cries. And cries. And cries.

Then she hears rustling. Instantly on high alert, she shimmies into a nook in the grass, curling into a ball and trying to avoid attention. The enormous feet plod through the grass, and she cries out when one descends towards her head. Then it simply hovers above her before removing its presence. She glances skyward, having closed her eyes from fear. She feels something warm wrap around her before she is lifted from the grass.

"He didn't send you here," a voice seems to boom, though it really is merely, as she knows, just a human's. She quakes in his grasp, both hands gently wrapped around her tiny frame. She doesn't bother to try to shake free, as she knows it is futile. This creature is much taller than she, much more powerful than she, and much crueler than she.

"What's your name, squirt?" the voice booms once more, and she squeals in her own language.

"You're a Ralts, huh?" he murmurs, still only gently grasping her. "Were you abandoned?"

Her weak voice squeals once more, letting her alleged assaulter know everything he wants.

"You poor thing," he whispers, suddenly embracing her, gently, so gently, knowing she is just as fragile as glass.

I watch you fast asleep  
All I fear means nothing

Her voice won't return to her as she is held, her ebbing away slowly as shock flows through her.

"I won't hurt you," he whispered. "You can come with me. Meet my friends, my other pokémon."

Her voice pipes up in question, and he laughs, a full, hearty sound that mkes her want to smile.

"I just said I wouldn't hurt you," he reminds her, pulling her onto his shoulder, where she sways before simply sitting down, attempting to maintain balance. His hand supports her back, warm, though still rough. "Careful."

He carries her away, and her fear melts. She breaks down sobbing against his hair, and he smiles gently, simply letting her.

_Is this... safety? Will Ralts be loved?_

In you and I there's a new land  
Angels in flight  
wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I  
My sanctuary my sanctuary yeah

Where fears and lies melt away  
Music inside  
wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I  
What's left of me what's left of me

3-3-3-3-3

"Faith, you're evolving!" he shouts when she glows with white hot light. She feels herself changing, but growing taller than before. She is now just as tall as him, if not taller. She knows the change by her growth in power, in body, in intellect. She feels great, so much better than when she'd been found in that horrible park.

She's travelled everywhere with him, everywhere he's gone, he's taken her. She has grown, not once, but twice. He called it "evolving." This metamorphosis always changed her... but not really. She was still her, even if she was taller, more powerful.

You show me how to see  
That nothing is whole and nothing is broken

He'd named her Faith, and she'd accepted it graciously. She loved her name, it was hers, and he'd given it to her. His team of pokémon had automatically accepted her, and she thanked them for it. She knew she was loved, she felt it, clear as the sunshine.

In you and I there's a new land  
Angel's in flight  
wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I  
My sanctuary my sanctuary yeah

She discovered that with her evolution, she'd gained a new power, and a quite prominent one- telepathy.

_Master?_

He seems shocked to hear her voice, but nods to her nonetheless.

_Thank you so much. For everything._

He grins and nods as their past opponent slouches away, having paid his loser's fee.

"No problem Faith," he responds. "Thank you."

_Master?_

"Hm?"

_... I love you._

Where fears and lies melt away  
Music inside  
wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I  
What's left of me what's left of me now

He stares at her, even further shocked now. She fears rejection and wraps her long graceful arms around herself.

"I love you, Faith," he responds, to her surprise and utmost joy. She tackles him to the ground, her arms finally long enough to return his embrace. He grins and laughs, holding her and wrestling with her, just as he does with the others.

My fears and lies  
Melt away  
wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, so here I am, doing homework, and when I finally get it all finished I try to stand up. What do you know, I've got a friggin' Charlie horse in my quad! Still got it!

So I think to myself, "Well, since I'm helplessly immobile as of right now, wghat better time to write fanfiction?

Review, me hearties!

Sanctuary: Hikaru Utada

Keeping Faith Chapter 2

"Faith?" the master speaks to her, and as she looks to him, she receives his smile. "What do you want to do?"

Everybody is here, the whole team. Spade the Skarmory, his steel wings folded against his body. Spade and Faith became friends upon meeting, as he had the relaxed nature.

Coal the Infernape got along with her even quicker, though his hasty nature made his emotions change quickly. He was currently hanging from a tree by his legs, grinning broadly.

Tyre Tyranitar had a rash nature, and he was very hard to get along with, though he learned.

Lea the Leafeon's adamant nature showed through with her refusal to surrender, though she also got along with Faith, being the only other female in the team.

Maelstrom the Kingdra was... special in her eyes. His nature was adamant, like Lea's, and his determination always held true as well. But he showed no emotions. He was like talking to an empty box.

She cocks her head, taking a second to understand.

"What would you like to do?" the master asks her. He asks all of his Pokémon this question every so often, and today is her first day. She is filled with pleasant surprise before she taps her chin.

_Have you ever wanted to be more than a trainer?_

"More than a trainer?" the master asks for confirmation, which she grants with a nod. His black hair is matted and messy no matter how many times he soaks it. His blue hoodie went over a black t shirt, his denim jeans grubby but unbroken. His black backpack hangs loosely off one shoulder while he's leaned comfortably against a tree not five feet from the pond.

_Maybe you could be a gym leader, or we could battle against them?_

His eyes lose some of their luster as Maelstrom flinches, his body tensing in the shallow pool of water he floats in. She looks to him, and then back to the master, wondering if she's said something wrong.

"I tried that once," the master says, looking to Maelstrom, who sullenly turns his back on him. "It didn't work out in the end."

_I-I'm sorry._

"It's fine," the master responds, his warm smile reminding her of the day she was relieved and received from that horrible park. "Let me explain."

3-3-3-3-3

He'd finally beaten the last of the gym leaders, his invincible team of pokémon having plowed down every trainer he'd come across. His team had been the same as it was now, with the exception of a Gengar named Grim. Never once had he lost. His team plowed through every enemy, from Sandgem to Sunyshore. Even the champion had come by and complimented him on a journey of her own. He was ready to challenge the Elite Four, and to claim the title of champion.

Then it had happened.

The nurses couldn't cure him. Their miraculous machines couldn't erase his horrible disease. Grim had died only a day after defeating Volkner's Electivire single-handedly, showing its greatest efforts to date.

Its death was anticlimactic. It had been sitting there on a bench, watching the other pokémon play with that swaggering smirk that its species always carried. Then it simply vanished as he went to sit down beside it, going out with a grin.

Even ghosts die, he'd thought to himself with mourning. He didn't wish to go on as a trainer anymore, as he feared death- not just his own, but his friends' as well. When Cynthia had come to ask why he hadn't challenged her yet, she found him without a single pokémon. He'd released all those that had continued to live. She was aghast at this, asking him why he'd done it. He'd responded simply that he didn't want any more pain.

He returned home alone, to his mother's arms. She'd granted him entry, and he'd lived there in continuous mourning, no matter what happened. His mother, his rival, his closest friend, all of them had tried to get him out of the house, but there he stayed.

Then- after months and months of his self-inflicted solitude, a knocking came on the door that he couldn't ignore. His entire remaining team had returned to him, scolding and coaxing him out of bed. The love he felt for these pokémon was real, no matter how much pain could come from it. He realized the mistake he'd made and left.

Then one day, he got a piece of mail from his old friend that resided in Hoenn. He was sending his pokémon to Sinnoh's Pal Park and needed someone he could trust with them. He'd gone purely for the purpose of capturing them in the omnipotent park balls. This was when he found her.

3-3-3-3-3

"Do you know why I nicknamed you Faith?" he asks her, and she shakes her head, moved to tears by the story. "Because I wanted to put faith in my team, and have my team regain their faith in me. I wanted to get through it all alongside them."

She nodded her head, laughing at the analogy.

"I've abandoned all of my badges," he sighs. "If we want to be Sinnoh champions, we're going to have to start from scratch. Are you all willing to do that?"

The pokémon all look at each other, Maelstrom excluded. Their silent agreement shows as they nod, her excitement and anticipation rising.

"Mael," the master says, his feet carrying him to the Kingdra's side, wading in the shallow water. "Do you want to come?"

The aquatic dragon seems to shrug, his emotionless hose of a mouth letting out a small huff of air as his eyes close.

"Well, then I guess we've got a couple stops to make," he says decisively as he returns them to their pokéballs. "Spade, are you ready to fly to Celestic?"

The steel bird nods as Faith observes though the translucent red material, restlessly awaiting the beginning of an epic journey.

3-3-3-3-3

"Hi, mom," he says as he steps through the door upon arriving in his hometown. "I'm home!"

"Grant, is that you?" a woman's voice asks as the master enters. He lets her out of her pokéball, and she emerges in the outside world, looking around curiously. This room is new to her. This town is new to her. And this woman is definitely somebody she doesn't recognize.

"No, mom," the master says with a forced smile. "It's me, your son. You remember."

"Oh, Grant," the woman says as they walk up to her, a real grin plastered on her face. "How sweet of you to come and visit! You know, you're not coming home nearly as often as you used to."

"Mom," the master says, still smiling forcedly. "It's me. I just came by to get my-"

"Grant," his mother continues, interrupting him and making her shift uncomfortably. "You know, our son doesn't come by at all anymore. It's like he thinks he's too good for me or something. I missed you while you were gone, though."

"Mom," the master cuts in, making her flinch and the making the woman pause. "It's me. Dad's dead, remember? He died years ago, like I said last time."

The woman stares at him for a couple of second before her mouth opens.

"Promise you'll be back, okay Grant?" she asks of him. He stares at her for a couple of seconds before sighing.

"I promise," he responds, walking to another room in the house, with her following after him while the woman sits in her chair.

_Master?_

"Yeah, Faith?" he turns his head and smiles his actual, warm smile as she speaks into his mind.

_Is that woman your mother?_

"Yeah," he murmurs as he turns his head, shuffling through some drawers for some misplaced possession. "Though she clearly doesn't remember me. She's become senile."

She stands there, realizing she is on touchy grounds. But with the relationship she shares with her master, she believes that he will be willing to hear her out.

_What did your father die of?_

"Some terminal disease," he mumbles after some pause. "He hallucinated and other stuff. For a whole month, he thought I was a Smeargle. A Smeargle!"

_Do you think that maybe your mother is diseased as well?_

He is silent.

_You don't think that..._

"Think what, Faith?" he asks her, finally turning around to look at her, discontinuing his search temporarily. His expression is unreadable, his eyes dull.

_You don't think... that maybe you have a disease?_

"Of course not, Faith," he responds without missing a beat. "I'm fine."

She looks at him with uncertainty as he resumes his search before he exclaims with victory, making her start.

"I found them!" he shouts, triumphantly holding up a pair of red rollerblades. "Man, I missed these things!"

_What are they?_

"I put them on my feet and I can go a lot faster than I could walking," he tells her, grinning with great happiness.

_Are they that amazing?_

"Well, they're just material things in the end," he admits. "There are things I treasure more in life."

_Like what?_

"You."

His answer makes her face heat and her heart swell as she giggles vocally, walking alongside him out of the house as they go to pick up the others from the small pond on the northern part of the town. His other pokémon are wrestling, much as they always do, in the clear, bubbling water.

Something Coal says makes her laugh, and the master looks to her quizzically.

"What'd he say?" he inquired, staring at her with a small smile.

_H-He asked if his hair was out!_

The master pauses for a second before beginning to laugh along with her, as do the others, while Coal huffs in anger.

"Alright guys," the master says firmly, settling them all down. "We're headed south. We'll start by taking the road to Hearthome to challenge Fantina. Sound good?" A collective nod of agreement signifies anonymousness in the team, as they all begin the long journey.

"Hold on," the master says, grinning. "Let me put these on."

He unzips his backpack, pulling out the pair of rollerblades with a smile. "Still not rusted," he notes. "Alright. Everybody good to go?"

Spade spreads his wings and takes to the skies, flying at commendable speeds. Coal isn't far behind, bounding across the land with fierce animal energy. Surprisingly, Maelstrom was able to move quite quickly on land, seeming to blast across it in a jet of water. Lea is typically fast, her four legs sprinting her way right next to the others. Tyre burrows underground, moving beneath the land quickly enough to follow. Faith, seeing that she's going to need to be fast, lets her feet leave the ground and begins to levitate.

"Let's go!" he shouts, and his roller blades make him so quick, so agile, that he is able to say just ahead of each of his partners. Never having fallen out of practice, he maneuvers like the speed demon, one leg after the other gliding across the land as the wheels spin rapidly.

The team of seven, six pokémon, one human, tore down the path to their collaborative victory, exuding an aura of power to all those that witness them.

_Hang tight, world. You've got yourself a master back!_


	3. Chapter 3

Keeping Faith Chapter 3

"Well, here we are," he says as they arrive, skidding to a halt as he turns his feet horizontally. "Man, this takes me _way_ back."

Faith observes her surroundings as she finally lowers herself to the ground. Levitating takes little energy from her, but her friends are clearly a little tired after their little run. They'd blazed through a foggy mountainous region, then through a narrow street of a town, and they'd finally stopped at their destination late at night. The stars in the sky are puny in comparison to the brightness of the surrounding streetlights. Throughout all the places they'd been, this place is one of the biggest, next to Veilstone. The city is lively, with a large collection of people making their way down each street, chattering about different trivial subjects. A nearby house has a wonderful scent wafting out of its chimneys, and she can't help but feel her stomach growl.

"Ha ha," he laughs with a small grin. "I guess you're a little hungry, huh Faith?" she blushes but nods at his deduction.

"What say I get you all some little treats?" they team of pokémon cheers out loud at t his suggestion as the master removes his rollerblades, replacing the red skates with his white sneakers. They walk the short distance to the little house, looking forward to much.

_Master?_

"Hm?" he turns his head while they go along, as she has made the message private between him and her.

_What do you have planned?_

"Well, we're going to cook you up something nice," he tells her, and the entire team, even emotionless Mael, licks their lips in anticipation. "And then we're going to go challenge this city's gym." He pauses.

"ON second thought," he says nervously, chuckling as he looks at his shivering team. "We might want to wait until morning. I mean, Fantina's gym is kind of..." whilst the other five nod their heads and shiver, she looks at him in confusion.

"Let's just say it's good to have some light coming through the windows when you're in there," he said vaguely, leaving her with more confusion than before as they enter the humble building.

Heads of multiple people turn, some travelers, and some looking as though they live here, with aprons and chef hats. Those who are travelers turn their heads away, while those living there smile brightly.

"Well, well," a woman says in a southern accent, her smile gleaming in the light that the overhead ceiling fan provides. "I haven't seen you in a good deal of time."

"Hello, miss," the master says, extending his palm for a handshake, which she graciously returns. "I came back to make some poffins."

"Well, why else?" the woman laughs heartily. She wears a red sweater under her spotless white apron, making Faith wonder why it's there in the first place. Her thick, brown hair goes down to her neck and then way up over her head, as though this is her way to avoid cutting it. Upon closer observation, Faith perceives a small hair tie holding her chestnut hair up. The brown pair of pants she wears is modest, yet compliments her.

"Where's that Gengar of yours?" she asks, looking at the group of pokémon and noting the ghost's absence. "He just loved them spicy."

As they visibly cringe, the master tightening his fist, the woman realizes she's said something wrong.

"He's not with us anymore," the master murmurs, staring at the long, batter-splattered yellow tiles that make up the house's floor.

"I'm real sorry to hear that," the woman offers an apologetic smile as she gestures to Faith, who wipes her eyes gently at the mere thought of the ghost she'd never known.

"Who's this one?" she asks before whistling. "Whew, ain't she a beaut?" giggling at the praise, Faith looks to her master with a smile.

"This is Faith," he introduces her, returning the grin. "We met a couple of months ago and trained her to her highest form. She's just as reliable as everybody else in our team."

"You don't like to call them YOUR pokémon, do ya, hon'?" the woman asks with yet another smile. "They're always 'your partners or 'your teammates.'"

"Of course I don't," he agrees, looking at her as though she's idiotic. "They aren't just tools. We choose to be together. They don't belong to anybody." The pokémon all smile broadly at his short speech before group hugging him.

"Well, ain't that just the sweetest thing?" the baker asks, looking around and receiving shouts of agreement as the master smiles sheepishly.

"You always were a bit of a sap," one voice says as Faith looks over to its source.

"Hey, Jack," the master says with an exaggerated and forced smile. The boy looks to be about his age, fifteen-ish, and is wearing a black hoodie. His crimson hair is spiked in a few directions, seeming to be gelled. A red t-shirt is visible to her under the open zipper of his hoodie, and his legs are clad in a pair of blue jeans.

"I haven't seen you in a year, and that's all you have to say?" he snorts, walking up to the master and his team with a snort. "Come on, man, give me something to work with."

"You think I haven't been looking for you?" the master asks, scratching the back of his head. "You are my rival, after all."

"And don't you forget it," he jabs a finger at his chest before they both burst out laughing. The two make her smile, as she can tell that the harsh attitude from this new boy was merely a ruse.

"Alright, I'd love to catch up over this," Jack says. "So meet me outside when you're through here, alright? We can battle, just like old times. What was the score- fifty to forty-nine?"

"And I'm about to tie it," the master vows, grinning as the two bump fists.

"Don't you dare keep me waiting," Jack threatens. "Or I'm fining you-"

"Don't use that tired old line," the master groans. "Geez, didn't that blond kid from Twinleaf say that all the time?"

"Alright, fine," Jack huffs as he opens the door. "Seriously though, don't waste time."

"Will do, Jack," the master says, shaking his head with a chuckle. "He hasn't changed one bit."

"What are the odds of you two meeting here?" the baker asks as the master steps up, offering some sort of blue berry into the little machine.

"Don't ask me," the master shrugs as he turns the batter clockwise, focused intensely on making a... poffin? That was what he had called it, right?

He stirs the malleable material counterclockwise before switching to clockwise, in a seemingly random pattern. The people around him, as well as the pokémon that construct their team, culminate around the small table, observing his actions with piqued interest. He is entirely immersed in the task, as though his life depended on it, and yet he's so relaxed. Eventually, the western woman informs him, in a daze, that it is time to stop. He removes the doughy spoon, looking to the woman for permission before tossing it to Coal, who licks it eagerly. The others look to him with disgust, though he's oblivious to the looks he's receiving. The master chuckles a fresh spoon is delivered to his waiting hand, and he stirs a few more into batter, using the same precise movements, the same careful timing. His work is poffin perfection, without even the slightest burn or spill. He knows what he's doing, and it mystifies her as she watches. Even with something as simple as baking, her master is so skilled. This is only part of the reason she has these feeling for him.

Eventually, he's finished and willing to step away from the device. He seems to finally notice the eyes that are on him and he grins sheepishly. He turns to the team as Coal licks the last spoon, and they stand at attention.

"Well, Jack's right outside, and we need to wait for the batter to bake," he tells his friends with a seriousness that he possesses even in relaxation. His laid-back personality changes so quickly, she wonders which one is acted out.

"I'm sorry to ask you all to fight on empty stomachs, but there's no merit in keeping _him _bored. So, who's up for a quick battle?" the agreement that comes from the group is so simultaneous it seems almost robotic.

"Thank you, miss," he says as he turns to leave, shrugging his pack higher onto his shoulder. "I'll be back for the poffins whenever we're done."

"You take your time, dear," the woman responds with a wave of her hand. "Good things _take_ time, after all."

"They sure do," he agrees, taking his pokéballs out for traditional purposes. After all, battles weren't fought six on six; they were fought one on one. Either that or two on two, and in other, far-off regions, three on three.

Faith felt further from her master when sealed within her tiny ball. Only the fact that he holds her pokéball so close to his own body reassures her of his comforting presence.

"Let's get this thing started," he whispers, and she shivers from the confines of the small sphere she is comfortably confined in.

3-3-3-3-3

"Well, it's about time!" a voice calls from above head as the sound of a darting movement piercing the air reaches her ears.

"Faith, **Barrier!**" he calls out as her pokéball opens up, letting her out into the world. She places a hand in front of her face for a bright red shield to raise around her and her trainer, blocking out the Dark Pulse that comes her way. She grits her pearly teeth and lets out a sharp and determined cry before the barrier dissipates and the horrible black energy is diverted.

"You know, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it," the master says as Jack and an Umbreon make themselves visible in the street, civilians gathering around in excitement.

"... What are you talking about?" Jack asks, confused with his oppositions statement.

"How you find screaming at the top of your lungs to be an effective opening attack," the master responds, making Faith giggle.

"... Shut up," Jack growls before raising a hand in front of him, arm outstretched, two fingers up. "Umbreon, **Iron Tail!**"

The creature's fast movements are almost too quick for Faith's eyes, but she already knows what she must do as her master flicks his wrist inconspicuously.

The tail of her opponent shines a brilliant white, and strikes where she'd only just been standing.

"What...?" Jack looks to his opponent, who simply smiles before pointing a finger behind himself and jumping into the air. A ball of red-orange light rockets at Umbreon and takes it out immediately, knocking it into the ground and rolling it a few feet away.

"Umbreon, return!" Jack commands, retrieving his downed partner in a flash of red light. He smirks at her master, asking "Nice Focus Blast. Is this Grim's replacement?"

"Yeah," the master responds with a frown. "Please stop bringing him up."

"Well, I traded him to you when he was still a Haunter," he went on, shrugging his shoulders. "Remember? Of course I'm going to talk about him. Anyway, how does this one compare?"

"She's just as good," the master says before pausing to smirk. "If not better."

"We'll see," Jack comments with a smile, throwing an Ultra Ball to the ground.

After the customary flash, a Magmortar stands, arm cannon drawn and aimed at Faith. She's familiar with this species, and so is ready for whatever comes.

"Magmortar, **Fire Spin!**" a vicious tornado of red-hot flames pours from the Magmortar's arm cannon, skimming the ground as it forms before picking up incredible speed, even faster than the Umbreon from before. The intense flames licked at her flesh making her wince in pain whilst trying to avoid letting out a shriek. The fire entrapped her, holding her just above the ground and tightening constantly, burning her further.

"Focus, Faith!" her master's voice came, and he seemed so without remorse, without sympathy. She doesn't mind, though. She knows that this is merely how he acts in battle, and it is how he makes her stronger. She's even grateful to him for it.

She closes her ruby red eyes, holding in the little gasps that rise in her throat as she is assaulted by the blazes surrounding her.

"Build up your courage!" his voice is a code for an attack that the opponent will not expect, seeming to all to be simply the words of the sap they presume her master to be. She knows, now, what she must do.

"Build up your courage?" Jack asks, laughing out loud at his rival. "Please! Spare me! Magmortar, hit her with a **Fire Blast** while she's trapped!"

The creature not five meters away from her focuses, letting out a low grunt as it does so, and she can feel the heat radiating from it even with her eyes closed and the fire that is already harming her. The Magmortar fires its attack, and just when it is about to strike her, her eyes open.

A sound much like that of harsh clapping of one's hands is perfectly audible for a good few miles around as she unleashes her Psychic attack. An invisible wave of psychokinetic energy tears its way through the street, deflecting the Fire Blast as well as the Fire spin that revolves around her straight into her opposition along with the energy she has created. The streetlights above the onlookers heads explode and rain showers of sparks to the land as the Magmortar is sent flying into the nearby trees, crying out in pain.

Jack stands there, eyes wide, staring straight ahead, having never moved from his position of taunting her. She grins and sticks her tongue out in a playful gesture, having great happiness in her own achievement.

"That was Psychic... right?" Jack asks, clearly amazed. "How did you-"

"She's trained a lot," the master says proudly, gesturing to his teammate proudly as she grins at him, the kind of eyes-closed smile that symbolizes pure joy. "And a little bit of sappy cheerleading can help out too."

She stands there, just grinning at her master, before exhaustion brings her to the ground, and she coughs up a small puddle of blood.

"Faith!" the master's expression quickly becomes one of concern rather than smugness, and he dashes to her side with such rapid movement those around him believe death itself is at his heels. "Are you alright?"

She nods weakly, but doesn't dare utter a sound. The pain on her body is searing, so much that a word spoken even in her own language would be contorted into a garbled scream.

_I... hurt, master._

"That's to be expected," he laughs half-heartedly, concern being the more dominant emotion in his voice. "After all, you did stand up to two of Jack's pokémon. You can return now." His sapphire eyes speak volumes of pride, anguish, and fear.

She nods weakly as she is returned into her metallic prison, rubbing her scalded flesh against the side in order to draw herself nearer to her master, but finds no peace. Only the soothing coolness of the ball gives her happiness as she lays her head down and falls asleep.

3-3-3-3-3

He turns to Jack with an apologetic expression. "Sorry I wasted so much time. Are you ready to keep going?"

"Is she hurt?" his red-haired rival asks with worry edging his voice, returning Magmortar to its own home. "I mean, yes, it's a battle, but is she... _hurt_ hurt?

"She'll be fine after a trip with one of the nurses," he insists, raising another pokéball. "We have a battle to finish, do we not?"

"Of course," Jack responds, though the undertones of doubt from his rival do not escape him. "Let's get it over and done with."

"You sound like you want it to be over," the master notes, lowering his arm.

"Well, you seem more worried than you're willing to let on," the crimsonette tells him. "She's burned. Even if I am your rival, I don't like to see pokémon hurt."

"I'm telling you, she's fine," the master growls, his sapphire eyes flashing red for less than a millisecond. "We've seen worse battles."

"Like what?"

"Let's finish this and I'll tell you," the master says angrily, raising his arm once more. "Send out your next pokémon!"

Jack has no choice but to grudgingly obey. What was that red light? He has no idea, and he is admittedly unnerved as he throws down a Heavy Ball.

3-3-3-3-3

Moments later, Coal's Close Combat attack downs Jack's final pokémon, his Golem. Coal gasps for breath, and his trainer returns him to the pokéball swiftly.

"And now we're fifty to fifty," he proclaims triumphantly, placing the ball on his belt. "That was pretty close for a bit there."

"Yeah, yeah," Jack mutters distractedly. "Now get that Gardevoir of yours to the Pokémon Center!"

"That's next on the to-do list," he responds immediately, taking off down the street with his rival at his metaphorical tail.

The two enter, barely panting from the short run, and have their pokémon healed in turn. They then turn to leave, thanking the polite nurse and letting Faith rise from her slumber. She stirs, greeted by the smile of her master, and observes her surroundings.

_Did you win?_

"_We _won, Faith," he tells her, gesturing to the sleeping pokémon within the pokéballs and to herself. She smiles at the sentiment, leaning against him lethargically.

"So, about those 'worse battles,'" Jack presses in, interrupting the moment of peace, though not entirely removing it.

"Well," the master replies simply as the three sit down onto a park bench, nearby the entrance to Amity Square in the northernmost part of the city. "I'd say the one against that one legendary stands out most in my mind."

Her ears perk up and she shivers, knowing exactly which one he speaks of as he strokes her head endearingly.

"A legendary, hm?" Jack asks, with little surprise in his voice. He is well aware of the strength of his rival, and is perfectly willing to accept that he was challenged by one such creature. "Which one?"

"Ever heard of Ho-Oh?" he asks his rival with a grimace.

"The one that resembles a phoenix, right?" he asked with a similar expression, he has one knee pulled up to his chest whilst the other remains on the ground. "You met it?"

"Sure did," he tells him. "It took all of us combined to take that thing down. It was huge, larger than all of us combined. It just came down from the sky when we were on Route 216. The ice pokémon in the area, the Snover and Sneasal, all fled. With just a flap of its brilliant rainbow-colored wings, it drove us back into the trees. It's fire scorched the snow and grasses with just a mere breath. We were lucky to dodge the first strike."

"How'd you win?"

"Well, it took us all out one by one," he recalled with a tap of his chin. "Every last one of the pokémon fainted, and I swore I heard a voice. Male or female I couldn't tell. You know what it said?"

"What'd it say?"

"Trainer, you are weaker than your pokémon," the master says in a pale imitation of a low and horrible voice, making her giggle slightly. "You cannot protect them, and yet they protect you. You do not deserve to have them."

"And then it came down with its mouth open and tries to swallow me whole," he says, and by now, Jack was on the edge of his seat, the winter coldness not even nearly bothering him with the sweat he's worked up. " I grabbed both halves of its beak, upper and lower, and held it back best I could. Just when I thought I was done for, and my hands were going to give out, Faith did the most incredible thing I'd ever seen. She rose one hand, vibrated for about a second, and then this huge black void opened up right in front of your hand, so quickly I swore it had always been there. The legendary creature was swallowed up by the black hole, and I heard it cry out in a melodious sound of pain before it was spat back out into this world."

"It told me that my pokémon were my friends, and that was why they fought for me," he finishes. "Then it flew away, telling me it would battle me again someday, maybe even allow me to be its master."

"Wow," Jack whistles. "That's pretty crazy. I can't say I've ever had the pleasure of encountering a legendary myself."

"It's all up to them," he tells Jack with a shrug. "But I'm far more interested with what Faith did. That wasn't an attack I taught her."

_I had to protect you, master. I cared not for the cost._

He smiled and ruffled her soft green hair, making her giggle once more.

Suddenly, the ground around them shakes with great violence, throwing Faith into her master's arms as he instinctively holds her down on the ground, falling from the bench and wrapping his arms around her in a protective hold. Streetlights teeter as those in the city scream with fright. When the quake subsides, there is disturbed chatter in the streets.

"What just happened?" Jack asks out loud, looking around with obvious concern and fear.

"No clue. Faith?" the master asks her, suddenly in business mode. She closes her eyes, holding onto his warmth, while focused on her task.

_Something east of here has crashed with the surface of the planet. It looks like a meteorite._

"Next to the Lost Tower?" he asks for confirmation, which she grants with a nod. "Well, let's go check it out."

He stands to strap the roller blades on, and she whimpers at the loss of his presence against her. He pauses at her strange behavior, before realization strikes him and he takes her hand, having already put on the magical shoes.

"Let's go," he says once more, to which Faith nods and Jack agrees, putting his feet on a skateboard.


End file.
